


Redemption

by JudasComplex



Series: Reformation [3]
Category: Persona 4
Genre: Complicated Relationships, Dark Past, F/M, Gen, Redemption
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-05-26
Updated: 2019-05-26
Packaged: 2020-03-17 15:00:29
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,326
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18967603
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/JudasComplex/pseuds/JudasComplex
Summary: He's not perfect. He never will be--and he knows it.But he's getting a second chance, and now he has to figure out how to use it. And hopefully...figure out how to be a decent human being along the way. How much is nature, and how much is choice?





	Redemption

**Author's Note:**

> Anyone who knows me, knows that I've been working on this since I first started Adachi's arc with Breaking the Rules. It's something I've also hesitated on posting for a very long time, because Adachi's that kind of character who causes rifts in stuff, and I don't always play to the same tune as others. (And to be fair, I'm not posting everything I've written. Yet.) But following Adachi and Nanako after his release is something I felt needed to be explored--so that both of them can figure out what really happened that night in the hospital. It was a major turning point for both of them, and tied them together in ways they don't understand. 
> 
> So this is me exploring that.
> 
> These are two people who, in very different ways, are both very troubled and broken. And with Adachi free, it's time they figure out what pieces get put back together.

_They're letting me go._

It's the strangest feeling, being handed a bag you haven't felt in what, eleven? Twelve years? And then being sent out into the world and expected to know your way around. He was utterly overwhelmed. Dressed in something other than prison jumpsuits for the first time in over a decade, he squinted in the afternoon sun and listened to the prison gates close behind him.

He was actually free.

That being said, he had no one here to claim him. Innocent or not (or rather, unable to really be proven guilty or not), his family wanted nothing to do with him. The courts had spent years trying to nail down what had _actually_ happened, who had _actually_ killed those people. Even Adachi's story had too many holes, and try as they might, they couldn't ever get enough decisive evidence to nail him to that cross. So they had no choice but to let him go. Admitting to the crime wasn't enough when there were still holes in your story like _why is there no DNA evidence of you at the crime scenes_ and _can you describe the methods for how you placed the victim's bodies_ and _if this was your doing, how is Council Secretary Namatame involved?_ He didn't have good enough answers, and they couldn't keep him. The strangest case Inaba had seen in ages.

In the long run, he'd gotten lucky. Normally, he would have been executed. But as the cop's daughter had told him, Dojima had fought for Adachi to be granted a prison sentence, rather than death. He owed his life to Dojima...and for once, didn't resent that. He'd hated Dojima, at first. Had wanted to see him burn. Had hoped he'd show up on that stupid Midnight Channel, until... Well. That wasn't something that bore worth thinking of.

Her visit the year before had been odd. Nanako had grown into a stunning young woman—not that Adachi was surprised. From what he'd seen of the pictures, Chisato Dojima had been a knockout, and Ryotaro...okay, he'd admit it. Ryotaro was a good looking man himself. So the fact that Nanako was blow-you-away beautiful wasn't a shock. What had been a shock was that she'd come to visit him, and come by herself. Dojima had been very specific in not telling Adachi anything about her when he'd come visiting, saying that Adachi had no right to know anything about Nanako after what he'd done to her.

And Adachi hadn't argued. His actions had led to her—albeit temporary—death.

But then she'd come, and been emotional at him, and asked questions that still haunted him, and he didn't have any good answers for any of them. Then she'd left him with a letter from Narukami that had broken him all over again. He'd already decided to try to live a better life, to follow the rules of this world. Having Narukami actually offer some kind of redemption...it had been more than he could handle.

But now he was faced with the wide open world, and nowhere to go and no way to get anywhere. _Fantastic._ The cell phone in his bag had obviously not been charged in eleven years and hadn't had its bill paid in longer than that. He did have some money in his pockets, however. He slung the bag over his shoulder and made his way to the bus stop. Even if he didn't know where he was going, he could at least get somewhere on the bus.

 

* * *

 

Being back in Inaba was stranger than anything else. It looked so...normal. The shopping district had changed—all for the better—and grown, showing the influence Junes had built into the community. They'd grown together, and made Inaba all the better for it.

He wasn't sure how to feel.

“Man, and I thought Yu was kidding when he said they were letting you go.” Adachi whirled around to face the voice speaking, hand tightening on the strap of his bag. Light brown hair flopping into his eyes, the young man behind him had to be in his mid to late twenties...about Adachi's age when he'd been locked up. The man's arms were crossed over his chest, and something in the posture was familiar, though the face wasn't... _wait._ In the picture Nanako had shown him...

“...Hanamura?” His voice sounded rough to his ears, rusty from disuse.

“Huh, didn't think you knew my name. Or that you'd remember it.” The hatred the boy still felt toward him dripped off each word. “What are you doing back here?”

_Good question._ Adachi shook his head, shifting his bag. “Dunno, really. Couldn't think of anywhere else to go.”

Hanamura blinked at that, and shifted his posture. Still hostile, but less so now. “You're serious, aren't you? Man, I know Dojima-san said you were a model prisoner, but I didn't actually think you'd change.”

“Eleven years locked up gives you a lotta time to think.” His voice was slowly coming back to him, the light tone flat but present. “And besides, I told you guys when you dragged me in that I'd follow your rules. That hasn't changed.”

“Huh.” Hanamura put his hands in his pockets, flicking his hair out of his eyes. “So now what? Just planning on hanging out in the shopping district?”

“For now.” He didn't need to tell the prince of Junes he didn't have an apartment any more. ...At least, he didn't think he did. Eleven years later, surely they'd rented it out to someone else. “Don't you have something more interesting to do than bother convicted felons?”

The brunet shrugged. “I'm waiting for someone. Can't exactly say the same for you.”

“Yeah. I guess not.” Seeing an end to the already awkward conversation, Adachi started walking back down the road. He could pick up a different bus stop to his old apartment complex. Whoever Hanamura was waiting for, Adachi probably didn't want to see them.

 

* * *

 

Oddly enough, it was apparently difficult to rent an apartment which had once belonged to a suspected serial killer, even after you remodel it and make it three times as large. He couldn't promise payment, but the complex had given him his apartment back, complete with all his shitty quality furniture plus some. They had cleaned it out, at least. He'd need to find food, but then again, he hadn't had much in the cabinets before he'd gotten locked up.

He sat down on the couch, staring blankly at the switched-off TV set in front of him. It felt like a lifetime ago that he'd been in this very seat, watching this same screen and waiting with glee for the next sap to appear. Waiting for the next victim. Waiting for the next burst of excitement in his boring life. It all seemed so stupid now. What was he going to accomplish?

_Getting myself out of the disaster I'd put myself in._ As if Inaba was the worst place he could be. After eleven years in a concrete cell, Inaba was a bustling metropolis.

_So what do I do now?_ He had no job, no hope of returning to his old one. No source of income. He had a roof over his head, at least for now. _How does a convicted felon—acquitted or not—find a job?_ Maybe he could ask Dojima. Would his old supervisor even talk to him? He'd come to visit at the prison, but Adachi wasn't sure how much of that was out of a sense of duty.

Who all even knew he was out? Hanamura had said Narukami mentioned him getting out. Which meant it was likely Dojima knew. Maybe he could...

_Knock knock knock._

Adachi jumped, the rapping at the door startling him out of his thoughts. _Who...?_ He walked over to the door and pushed it open, trying to even fathom who could be knocking at his door.

Who he saw was not even close to anyone he'd expected. And yet, he wondered why he hadn't.

“Dad wondered if I'd find you here.” Nanako Dojima stood in the doorway, hair pulled over one shoulder, standing almost his height now. Somehow seeing her from the other side of a glass wall had lessened the impact of how much she'd grown since when he'd been locked away. Eighteen years old now, she was a fully-grown woman, with the looks to match. _The body to match. Holy hell._ That was disconcerting. Little Nanako was not supposed to have tits.

“I...um. Hi N-Nanako.” He took a step back, uncertain of what she was doing here. “Y-your dad...?”

“He knew you were getting out today, but got backed up at work so he couldn't come get you. I only just got out of school, so he called me and asked if I could check your old apartment, see if you'd gone back.”

“How...” He was at a loss for words.

She raised an eyebrow. “Really, Adachi? There's not that many places you could be.” She glanced over his shoulder. “Do you even have anything here?”

Adachi blinked, turning back to look into his apartment. “Some furniture...? I was going to figure out something about food later.”

“Come on. Dad gave me some money to get you started. We'll go to Junes.” Nanako tilted her head, indicating back outside. When Adachi didn't move, she sighed. “Come _on._ Dad put up with your shit for all that time, and still came to see your sorry ass in prison. You don't think he'll at least buy you some ramen and miso when you get out? Let's _go._ ”

Adachi recognized that tone; she'd inherited it from her father. “Yes ma'am.” Who was he to argue if Dojima wanted to buy him some food? It wasn't like he had any way to buy it himself right now.

 

* * *

 

A few hours later, Adachi found himself seated at his own table, watching Nanako Dojima make him dinner. She hadn't asked, and had rather simply asserted that he was not capable of doing such himself, so why didn't he just go sit down and stop being in the way.

Couldn't tell who _her_ father was.

“Nanako?” he spoke up, peering into the kitchen. He was fairly certain she was making curry. That's what he thought curry smelled like, at least.

“Hm?”

“Why...” He cleared his throat. “You seemed mad at me the last time you saw me.”

She didn't turn around, her voice staying even. “I was.”

He paused. “And...you're not now?”

“What makes you think that?”

“You're making me dinner.”

“Do you want me to leave?” Now she looked over her shoulder at him, eyes leveling him. Adachi couldn't answer. After a beat, she turned back to the stove. “My cousin is willing to give you a second chance. So I am too.”

The frog that had taken up residence in Adachi's throat could fuck _right off_ , thank you very much. He coughed. “I never...” His voice gave out, and he didn't try to finish it again. She knew what he was going to say. That he hadn't intended for any of this to happen to her, that he'd been horrified when Namatame had attacked her, that no, she hadn't imagined him coming to her bedside all those years ago...

“I know.” She flicked off the stove, transferred the food into two dishes, and brought them over to the table, setting one down in front of Adachi. “You told me. And I remember what you sounded like that night.”

He swallowed hard again, peering down at the curry. “Right.”

Nanako offered him a pair of chopsticks, which he took with a nod of thanks. “I'm not really. Mad anymore, that is. I was, before. Back when I didn't know what was happening. When I was trying to figure out who you were.”

“Still working on that myself,” he muttered, poking at the rice.

“Good.” When he looked up at her, she managed a faint smile. “If you hadn't changed at all in eleven years, I'd be pretty disappointed. But even when I saw you last year, I could tell something was different.”

“Getting locked up for that long will do that.” He tried a bite. Spicier than he'd expected, but he was used to prison food—and a Nanako who didn't like spice. Eleven years. Mind-boggling.

“I bet.” She was content to keep the silence for a while as they ate. Adachi hadn't realized how boring the food in prison was until he was actually eating home-cooked food again. There was more flavor in one bite of this curry than in every meal he'd eaten in the last eleven years combined. Hearing a soft sound, he looked up at Nanako, who had one hand covering her mouth, clearly hiding a smile. “Sorry.”

“What?” He swallowed, blinking.

“Just...the look on your face. If you need a minute alone with the food, I can leave the room.” He could hear the grin on her face.

And once he'd attached the innuendo to her sentence, he could feel his face flush. “Wh—I...” Nanako burst out laughing, and he just felt his face get hotter. “Come on, Nanako. You try eating cardboard for eleven years and then eat your cooking. You've always been a really good cook.”

“Thank you. Curry's always been my favorite.” She pulled her hand away, though still smiling. Adachi couldn't help but watch her, eyes shining with amusement, lips twisted in a smile she was still trying to hide. She really had grown up to look just like her mother, but there was a strength in her eyes, in the way she held herself that was all Ryotaro. _Makes me wish I'd gotten a chance to meet her mother._

After a moment, he realized he was still staring. Shaking his head, he quickly looked down to his bowl. “Sorry. Lost track of my thoughts for a second there.”

“It's okay.” Nanako's voice was soft, and when Adachi chanced a glance up, she was looking down again too and...no, it had to be the lighting, but for a moment it looked like her cheeks were just a little pink. They ate the rest of the meal in silence, and Adachi took the bowls to wash them before Nanako could. It was the least he could do.

“Thanks for the food, Nanako. Tell Dojima I appreciate it.” Such a simple task, washing dishes, but it felt alien.

“I will. You'll come see us, right? I'm sure Dad will want to see you, and I doubt he'll come out here.” She leaned against the counter, face tilted toward him.

“Sure. Just like old times, except without all the lies, yeah?” The smile came easily to his lips; it was the same one he'd worn so often back then. With the self-demeaning words, it was second nature.

“Just like old times.” Nanako's voice had gotten soft again, and Adachi looked over to see her staring at the countertop.

“Hey.” Her eyes snapped up to him. “You okay?”

“Yeah. Just thinking.” She straightened up. “I'd better get home before Dad thinks I've been kidnapped. Again.” Adachi winced, but Nanako gave him a smile. “Sorry, bad taste. Come by any time, just call first, okay? It's usually just me and Dad, but sometimes Yu and Yosuke come over too. We just need to know how many people to plan on.”

“Absolutely. Thanks again.” Nanako just winked and slipped into her shoes, and headed out the door.

It was nearly five minutes later before Adachi realized he'd stopped moving.

Being in the real world was _weird_.

 

* * *

 

Originally, Adachi had planned on hiding out in his apartment for a while before trying to reintegrate himself into Inaba life, but two days in he'd had enough of his empty place. Something had to be out there for him to do, even if it was just a two-bit part-time job. Didn't kids get those? Narukami had always been babbling about some job or another. He hadn't really been paying attention.

So he'd caught the bus down to the shopping district and stood in front of the bulletin board, looking for anything he could do. Anything someone would hire him for. He'd already seen more than a few people give him the stink eye and shuffle away as fast as they could—including a kid he was pretty sure was related to one of the victims from back then. _If looks could kill._

He tried not to focus on it. The kid had every reason to be angry. His...sister? Probably. His sister was dead, and as far as anyone knew, it was Adachi's fault. (Actually, if it was who he thought it was, it genuinely _was_ Adachi's fault.) He couldn't expect the kid to suddenly think everything was better now, just because time had passed. His sister was still dead. That kind of thing stays with you.

“Adachi?” His name still sounded wrong in his ears, but he turned to see a young woman behind him, long hair pulled back into a ponytail and sharp eyes fixed on his. _Again with the “don't I know you” looks. Um..._ He blinked at her, and she continued. “I've been following your case. Congratulations on the release.”

The combination of tension in her tone with the congratulatory remark suddenly brought her identity back to him. “Thanks, Shirogane. Surprised to hear that from you.”

She gave a one-shouldered shrug. “As I said, I've been following the case. Knowing it from both a personal and a professional point of view, the ruling was inevitable. I believe justice has been done. Do you?”

That took him back a moment. _Do I?_ “I...yeah, I guess.” When she kept watching him, he tried to extrapolate. “I mean, eleven years gives a person time to think, yeah? And so I thought about it, and I'm working on being better. So...” He shrugged back at her. “Yeah.”

“And what are you going to do now?” She shifted her weight, eyes never leaving his. “Do you believe that your incarceration is atonement enough, or are you going to attempt to right the wrongs you committed to the best of your ability?”

His eyes narrowed. “I can't bring people back to life, Shirogane. What can I do to right anything?”

“Perhaps a good thing to think about.” Naoto tucked a stray bit of hair behind an ear. “What are you planning on doing for work?”

Talk about non-sequiturs. “Haven't found anything yet.” He gestured to the board. “Though I bet I could make a killing out of paper cranes.” When her eyebrow quirked up, he smacked his forehead. “Oh jeez...”

“Perhaps not your best word choice.” Luckily, the detective sounded amused more than anything. “And indeed, perhaps you can do well for yourself folding cranes and envelopes, translating documents into English and what have you. However, I feel that may be a waste of your abilities. A felon you may be, but you're still a former police officer.”

“The force won't touch me, and I don't blame them,” he shot back.

Her lips quirked in a smile. “No, I wouldn't expect the Inaba police department to want anything to do with you, but that is not to say that there aren't individuals in the criminal justice field who wouldn't be willing to give you a second chance, even if it is merely a desk job.”

Adachi sighed. “Honestly, a desk job sounds really great. Any job sounds great.”

“Then I'll expect you at the office tomorrow.” The shock must have been written all over his face, because Naoto actually laughed. “I'm not a student anymore, Adachi. I've been working as an independent investigator for nearly seven years now. Between my life and work here in Inaba, and my satellite work in Tokyo, I keep myself busy. I could use a set of hands in the office here, particularly when I'm away. I'm willing to give you the position for a 90-day probationary period, in which you prove to me you're actually willing to work legitimately. Then we consider continuing employment. Does that sound fair?”

Adachi couldn't speak at first. “I...you're serious.”

“It's not as if I need to ask your credentials,” she replied. “I know where you've worked, and I know who you would mark as references. And I know why you would have difficulty finding a job elsewhere. Should I be concerned I'm making a mistake?"

“No!” Maybe he answered too quickly. “No, I can do it. I won't jerk you around.”

The smile she gave him was light. “Let your actions speak for you. Your words have lied too easily in the past.” Despite her words, Adachi felt better for it. At least she was acknowledging what had happened. “I'll be in contact with you. I assume you're living in the same location as before?”

Adachi nodded. “Yeah.”

“I'll find you then, likely tomorrow or the next day.” She gave a sharp nod, and Adachi took the hint that the conversation had ended. “Take care, Adachi.”

“Uh...y-yeah. You too, Shirogane.” She headed off and Adachi stared back at the board. _Maybe I don't need to fold cranes anyway._ His phone buzzed in his pocket, and he fished it out. _Who even has my number anymore?_ It wasn't a number in his phone book, but that wasn't hard to do.

_**hi adachi, it's nanako. dad wants to know if you can come to dinner tomorrow. yu will be here but not yosuke. i thought that might be easier for you.** _

It still sent an odd shock through his chest, seeing that not only was Nanako old enough to have a cell phone ( _eleven goddamn years_ ) but that she was still talking to him. That Dojima was inviting him over for dinner. That for just a brief moment, it felt like he had been given a second chance to fix the things he'd fucked up back in the day.

_**Sure. I'll be there. Just tell me when.** _

He'd take it, if he was truly being given this. What else could he do?

 

* * *

 

Standing in front of the Dojima house was paralyzing. When was the last time he'd been here? Before Nanako's abduction, so...could it have really been the dinner “celebrating” getting Shirogane back? Or no, had Narukami made him come over for dinner after that? It all blurred together now.

He couldn't knock. He couldn't move. What was he supposed to do? Just act like nothing had happened?

_You know these people. You know Dojima. Do you really think you can piss him off more than you already have?_ He took a breath and tapped at the door.

There was a moment of muffled voices, then the door slid open—revealing Narukami himself. The hair was shorter now, but still grey; the eyes were just as sharp. But it was the smile that threw him off. The smile he hadn't expected. “Adachi. Good to see you.”

Adachi blinked, but gave Narukami a nod. “Y-yeah, same to you.” He shifted on his feet. “I was told you all were expecting me for dinner?”

“Of course, come on in.” Narukami stepped away from the door, letting Adachi walk in and take off his shoes. “How have you been since you got out? I'm sorry I didn't come by sooner.”

“I'm...adjusting.” He wouldn't look back up at the young man. “It's a different world than the one I left.”

“I can believe it.” There was a pause, and Adachi could tell something was coming, so he waited before walking further in. “Did... Nanako told me she gave you my letter.”

Adachi nodded. “I'm considering it. It's...hard to think about.”

Narukami offered a small smile. “I know. Take your time. I'm not going anywhere.” The young man tilted his head and the two walked in, and the wave of nostalgia could have knocked Adachi off his feet. Save for some more gray in Dojima's hair and a few more lines on his face, and the fact that Nanako wasn't a seven-year-old anymore, it could have been just another day from all those years ago.

Nanako looked up and greeted him with a smile just as bright as she'd always had. “Adachi! You did come!”

He couldn't help but smile back. “Well yeah, I said I would, didn't I? I try not to break promises.” His eyes kept flickering to his old boss, trying to get any feeling for what the man was thinking, whether he was actually okay with this, whether or not there was any trace of the man he'd used to know left in there. He'd been friendly enough but...

As if he could sense the hesitation, Dojima looked up to Adachi and gestured to the table. “Well don't just stand there; sit down. You know how this works; it's not your first time here.”

Adachi felt like a weight had been lifted off his shoulders. Maybe his tone was a little tighter, but Dojima's voice sounded just like before. “O-oh yeah, of course.” Adachi stepped over to sit across from Dojima, with Narukami on his left and Nanako to his right, just like usual. Nanako's smile didn't waver as she handed Adachi a bowl of rice. “Thanks, Nanako.”

“Hope you're hungry.” The grin widened. “I made curry.”

Adachi couldn't help but laugh. “You know me, I'm always up for your curry, Nanako.”

The conversation started stilted, but after a few halted conversations they got back into a rhythm, chatting about Narukami's job, Nanako's school and whatever was happening with the police force. No one asked Adachi about the years gone past, and he was perfectly okay with that. For just a few hours, he could pretend like the whole disaster had never happened. And when he managed to even get Dojima to laugh, he started to believe that maybe things really could change.


End file.
